An Interview With… Zachary Snyder & “Nintendo The History”

Miketendo64.com Editor- Mike Scorpio

With the internet being a powerful entity that can bring people closer together from all around the world, it enables us to interact with other amazing people across the globe that we would otherwise wouldn’t have been able to without this now essential commodity in our lives. The internet has given birth to many wonderful things including Google, Youtube and Blogging which, all have enabled us to discover another part of the world and the people that inhabit it all from the comfort of our own homes. However I am not here to big up the internet but to provide Nintendo related articles from Nintendo themselvesand their fans. I have added a new page to my blog to give fans an opportunity to talk about their Nintendo inspired projects, including videos, videogames and other products of their creation. Today I have had the privilege to talk to Zachary Snyder and his Project “Nintendo The History.”

Mike – Thank you for agreeing to do this Interview Zach. It is a pleasure to have you here and to talk about your up-and-coming project “Nintendo The History”

Zach – Well first off, I want to thank you Mike Scorpio, for giving me the opportunity to do this interview. We’re a small group, with a big idea, so the only way we’ll make it is by word of mouth and I’m glad to be featured on your blog!

Mike – You are very welcome Zach, I hope that we can get the ball rolling for you and generate some fan interest for you. So tell me, what inspired you to create this web series?

Zach – It actually started about 3 years ago, after I had my music YouTube channel up and running for almost a year, I decided that I wanted to start doing Let’s Play videos. I got this idea one night to create a series in tribute to Nintendo’s History and I wanted to incorporate as much info as I could into each episode and make it entertaining as well.

Mike – That sounds really interesting because there are not many projects like this that really dive into the history of Nintendo. Are you doing it alone or do you have a team working production with you?

Zach – I’m glad you asked, I currently do have a team of 3 other people working with me. As our Researcher, Mike Brothers, is a Video Game Speed Runner and an aspiring Let’s Player from New York. As our Script Writer, Damian Floyd, is a writer from South Carolina who is a student at ITT Tech for Computer Programming; he is also writing his own Anime Styled Sci-Fi Novel. As our Editor, Andy Bundy, is an editor/actor from Ohio and just graduated from Cedarville University with a Film Studies degree; he also hosts his own YouTube channel named “bbundy09.” And of course, I’m Zach Snyder and I am working towards my degree in Music Education from Furman University. I’m a musician and a composer and I hope to be in the video game industry writing music one day. I have also been doing Let’s Plays and Music Covers/Original Songs on YouTube for the past 3+ years. I am the director/producer/voice actor of the show Nintendo the History.

Mike – You have a well rounded team that seem highly capable for this project and your background in music intrigues me most. Are you a fan of Nintendo?

Zach – Most definitely! Between the iconic characters and the storylines to my favorite part – the music. There’s just something about what Nintendo does for video games that inspires me so much, not only in creating this series, but also in writing music for video games.

Mike – That is really cool that you really appreciate the music in the games, I think it is what helped make the games so iconic. What was your first Nintendo experience?

Zach – It actually wasn’t until I was 10 years old when I received my first Gameboy from my uncle and cousin for Christmas. I started playing Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and I loved every bit of it.

Mike – So you are a Zeldafan as well? that will make this next question interesting. Are you a Home Console Gamer or Handheld?

Zach – Honestly? I’m not a man of discrimination, I like both, as well as, PC gaming. It all just depends on where I’m at and how much time I have to determine what game I’m gonna play.

Mike – I couldn’t agree with you more. time management and gaming go hand-in-hand these days. OK, lets talk about the funding for your projects. You are currently trying to raise funds on kickstarter, how is that going for you?

Zach – Well, Kickstarter didn’t go too well. After about 15 days and no donations, I just decided today to cancel the funding campaign. However, I did start a Patreon page today and I believe it will go a lot better, especially in the long run. So, if you wanna check that out, please go to https://www.patreon.com/Sebijingames we would greatly appreciate it!

Mike – I will definitely look into that as I am sure our readers will too. As regards to the actual series, are you going to start out with a pilot and gauge reactions or are you going to release a whole first series?

Zach – I like that you brought this up! On Facebook there is a new group called “Nintendo the History Fan Club” where anyone that is interested in the series can join. As we release updates during the production period, I hope to have bits and pieces of the first episode shown, so that we can get feedback from the audience before the First Season premieres in September.

Mike – So we can expect at least the first episode in September. Will you be uploading only to Youtube.com or do you have any other video hosting sites?

Zach – Right now, my only plan is to upload on YouTube. I’m also considering uploading them on ScrewAttack’s website. At the moment, I don’t know anything about other video hosting sites policies’, so I can’t promise that they’ll be on other sites, unless the fans want them there.

Mike – Well we will look forward to seeing the videos on those websites. How far into the history of Nintendo will you be diving into? From the origins of Mario & Donkey Kong or to the original Trading cards?

Zach – Another great question! We plan on starting in the first episode with the beginnings of Nintendo’s History with the original Trading cards (Hanafuda cards) and toys. In the 2nd episode, we’ll talk about the arcade games, which will bring us to episode 3, where we’ll start with the NES and bringing these games to home consoles. Over the seasons, I really hope to cover everything up to today’s newest games.

Mike – That is great, your series is going to be quite comprehensive. Now, about the trailer for your series. We have seen the trailer but it doesn’t tell us much about the series, do you have a sneak preview for us as to what we can expect from the series?

Zach – I agree, the trailer doesn’t specifically say much, but I will say this: Get ready to have fun watching, get ready to laugh and get ready to be informed. One of our main goals in creating this show, is to not make it a boring documentary. And I’ll say that as the main character in the show, I will do something to completely erase Nintendo’s History from the internet and it will be my duty to fix that throughout the course of the season/series.

Mike – OK, so there will be a little bit of drama to the series as well keep viewers entertained. Will the series consist mostly of video clips and screenshots with narration or will there be more physical interaction with a cast of researchers/experts?

Zach – Most of it will be video clips and screenshots with narration, with this type of show, we can’t really get away with not being typical in that sense. However, we’re working on figuring out how to do live action bits, as well as, comedy skits. Picture a sitcom plot, with the information from a documentary and put it in the format of a variety show – That’s “Nintendo The History”.

Mike – At least we know what we can come to expect from this series. Have you produced/directed a web series before?

Zach – Yes I have, but not as big as this. Nintendo the History was my first idea 3 years ago and I went along with a couple people then to create 4 episodes, but people got busy and dedication wasn’t really there, which is why it’s taken so long to get to where I am now. As far as other series, I was the recruiter for a Let’s Playing Community back in 2012 called “FourForgottenFangs” and was able to bring in about 250+ members, which helped create the show “The New Member Zone.” I also created a show that allowed viewers to do some sort of challenge in a video game in the show “Mission Accomplished” (which I hope to bring back). And I’ve recorded over 20+ Let’s Plays, 100+ music covers, which add to about 500+ videos on 2 YouTube channels.

Mike – That is a lot of videos. Youtube must have a private server just for you. Will you be taking elements from previous projects to add to the production of this Project?

Zach – Yes I think I will. If it’s one thing I’ve learned about being on YouTube, is that you’re always growing and learning what works in the past and applying it to the future. As I mentioned above, Nintendo the History had 4 episodes. I liked how it was delivered, but I’m taking it to the next level with the second shot at the series. I produced an instrument album back in February of 2014 (which is on iTunes) and I intend to use some of the songs as part of the soundtrack, when I don’t use actual Nintendo songs.

Mike -So we can expect around 4 episodes in total for “Nintendo The History,” I particularly like that you have produced some of your own music for the show as well. If your Web series is extremely well received by the public, would you consider continuing the project as a professional career?

Zach – I definitely do! While I will still be working towards getting my Music Education degree from Furman University, I intend to get in the industry to write music from Video Games, as well as, continue running this show. If we are received well by the public, I will hire on more people to help work on this show and I’ve also got a couple of other projects that I hope to show to the public in the future 😉

Mike – Well Zach, thank you so much for your time and for answering all my questions. I sincerely hope that you can get the funding that you need to produce your web series and I am definitely looking forward to seeing the results of what I think is going to be an amazing series that will really captivate both viewers and Nintendo fans alike.

If you would like to know more about Zachary’s Web Series “Nintendo The History” please feel free to click on the links below and also to keep up to date on Zach’s and his team’s progress.